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The idea of journaling is rather romantic—or at least it’s made out to be. Sitting with a steaming cup of coffee beside you as you scribble your innermost feelings onto page after page. Of course, the reality of journaling often involves fidgeting a pen in one hand as your once-hot coffee turns tepid and the blank pages stare back at you with judgment. Guided journals are a happy medium.
Most include writing prompts, quotes, and questions to help you avoid the common “Where do I start?” issue some of us experience with traditional journaling. On the other hand, if you tend to write a ton in stream-of-consciousness fashion, guided journaling can help you refine your thoughts and shed light on a particular area of your inner world that you want to explore.
Best Guided Journals to Ensure the New Year is Your Best Yet
Although these guided journals vary in terms of aesthetic, vibe, and topics they cover, the goal behind them remains the same—to release pent-up emotions and thoughts, reflect on the good and the bad, and inspire you to move through life in your own unique way.
Best for Self-Care
Create Your Own Calm for $9.31 ($16)
Artist and author Meera Lee Patel decorates the pages of Create Your Own Calm with thoughtful quotes and her delicate style of watercolor designs. The journal includes thought-starters for self-reflection, many of which ask you to find the light even in dark moments and situations. True to the creative spirit of the book, you’re prompted to write or draw your responses throughout.
MindJournal for $48
Long after Ollie Aplin’s mom passed away, journaling was instrumental in helping him process years of repressed emotions. He founded MindJournal specifically to help other men use writing as an outlet and a tool for self-understanding and self-care. MindJournal is extremely structured, including daily questions to help you check in with yourself and track your progress over a period of three months.
Best for Emotional Venting
Grievance Journal for $27.99
Instead of prompting you to reflect on what you’re *grateful* for, Grievance Journal asks you about the stuff that really ticks you off. Some pages are for venting (one prompt instructs you to “rant about [an] injustice”), and others are for pondering (quotes such as “Being a pessimist means never having to say ‘I’m disappointed’”).
As one online reviewer explains, “If you’ve got things to get off your chest that you’re super salty about, THIS is the journal for you.”
Best for When You Need to Let Loose
Wreck This Journal $9.19 ($16)
If most guided journals encourage stillness and introspection, then Wreck This Journal is pretty much the opposite. Intended as an “anti-perfection” tool, it’s an intentionally messy and unconventional way of checking in with yourself. Each page lists a command, all of which involve some level of cathartic destruction—from tying a string around the book’s spine and swinging it “wildly” so it hits the walls to eating multi-colored candy and licking one of the white pages.
Best for Goal-Setting
Progress Over Perfection $19.99
Author Emma Norris’s guided journal emphasizes mindful productivity instead of the “hustle and grind” mindset for which she credits her former on-the-cusp-of-burnout lifestyle. Progress Over Perfection helps you identify, reflect on, and plan your goals starting with the “big picture” (where you want to be five years from now) and setting “micro goals” to help you get there. There’s somewhat limited space for writing, so you might want to keep a blank journal or a few blank pages on the side.
Make It Happen by People I’ve Loved for $16
There’s something about jotting down serious thoughts next to whimsical illustrations that makes the whole process of goal-setting a bit more…fun. That’s the vibe of the Make It Happen journal. Prompts request your milestones, moods, and action items as well as the names of the people who have your back and on whom you can always call. Make It Happen gives goal-setting and reflection a warm and fuzzy feeling.
